Dodgers downplay potential controversy over Mike Fiers’ no-hitter
Astros starter Mike Fiers threw a career-high 134 pitches while no-hitting the Dodgers on Friday night in Houston.
Reporting from Houston — The day after the Dodgers were the victims of a no-hitter, images of a shiny substance on pitcher Mike Fiers’ glove were circulating around the clubhouse.
Their reaction?
Not much.
“I don’t want to take anything away from his night,†outfielder Carl Crawford said.
Manager Don Mattingly also viewed the social media-driven controversy as a non-issue, saying, “I think it sounds like you’re whining if you look at it and talk about it.â€
The consensus around the clubhouse was that a significant number of pitchers use something to improve their grip on the ball.
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“I think it’s pretty much accepted, unless it’s blatantly obvious somebody’s doing it,†Mattingly said.
That wasn’t the case when Fiers no-hit the Dodgers on Friday night, as Mattingly said he didn’t notice anything unusual about the way his pitches moved.
For his part, Fiers dismissed the speculation.
“I don’t know what they are talking about,†he said. “It could be a different lighting or camera angle or a lot of things. I don’t know.â€
Astros Manager A.J. Hinch lamented the situation.
“Last night was about Mike Fiers being a really good major league pitcher, and he had a great accomplishment,†Hinch said. “Anything that takes away from that is unfortunate, unless there’s this massive proof.â€
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